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User blog:Brady26/A Storm in Greenest
The group travel from the Skyspitter Mountains to Greenest, making new allies and receiving messages from old ones, they find that the Cult of the Dragon is still a threat to them even when they believe themselves safe. Clouds Over Thunderhead Keep Regrouping with the Enclave rangers in their grove in Obsidian Pass, the group rest as the rangers kept a look out for them. Recovering themselves, Khez suggested they travel to Thunderhead Keep to inform the giants of the defeat of the dragon Deathbrand, the group agreeing to accompany him. Informing Kord, the goliath greeting Khez as they approached, after resting for a brief moment Kord told them that he would inform the Enclave of the development and wished them the best in their meeting with the giants. Approaching Thunderhead Keep, Khez was greeted this time by Westwind, a giant of the Longhoof tribe who brought him towards the gates of the keep where others had assembled to discuss the rising threat of the dragons. Khez spoke for the group and the Enclave, speaking of the heroism of their members and their efforts against the Cult of the Dragon and the threat that was Deathbrand. Westwind spoke with the other tribes there and agreed that the Enclave had earned their trust, calling forth a bolt of lightning that he caught in his huge hand and shaping it into a staff of wood that he passed on to Khez, claiming that it could call on them when the time was right. As they rested at the gates of the keep, Khez made one more request of Westwind, but as he spoke the giant seemed concerned at the presence of Darion, though Khez only spoke his piece, asking that his companion Lukas be given some of the milk of the caulark to restore his lost vigour. Westwind later returned with a large bag of milk which he instructed the tired Lukas to drink, empowering him with a strength he had not felt since falling to the fires of Deathbrand's lair. A Town in Drenden The group sets off north towards Drenden, relying on Khez's ranging skills to find a route into the nearby Noble States, passing a herd of caulark's as the reached the border that shook the ground with its stampeding hooves. Passing a fortification that marked the border into Drenden, Rack rushed forward to get a better look at the flag whilst the others tried to keep up. He startled a young marine who drew his rifle, calling for a bell to be rung, and an officer came out as the rest of the group arrived, a little out of breath. Darion presented the writ and they were allowed past, being told the nearest village, Ermersfeld, was day away to the north. Arriving in Ermersfeld another guard stopped them and an officer demanded to see their writ, Khez noting how paranoid these people were. At an inn, the Exalted Hunter, the group rested, Darion seeing that their was a dice game of some sort going on and wished to partake, but as he sat down the man running the game left after Darion stated his title. Lukas went for a walk around the town on his own whilst Rack went to bed and Khez went outside to find out about the town from the animals outside. Using his raw animal magnetism and his ability to speak with beasts, Khez learned that the town had become quite tense recently, though there was no immediate threat, at least according to the cats in the alleys. The Tunnel Below As it grew darker, Lukas saw a man firing a pistol into the air signalling a change in guard rotation as well as a curfew that was in effect. As Lukas was heading back to the Exalted Hunter, he spotted the man that had left the inn after meeting Darion, he was speaking into a bag of gold, to some unseen and unheard voice. Confronting the man in the alley, Lukas demanded to know what he was doing, the man fleeing from him down the ally. Lukas pursued, crashing through the town and cornering him in an alley where the man crashed into a wall and dislocated his shoulder. Lukas asked why he ran, the man admitting he was talking to his bosses, though he refused to name them, showing a simple gold coin that he used to communicate with them, which Lukas took, resetting the man's arm he left him in the alley. Lukas returned to Darion and Khez, seeing that Darion had made friends with some local guardsmen. He told them of the encounter and they decided to remain vigilant, spending the night watching for any intrusions or potential assassins, Darion using his rod of alertness to find that indeed the coin was magical. In the morning after nothing came to murder them in their sleep, they met Wilbur, the wandwright that they had met in Tendown last year, the capranix not finding much luck selling to the Drenden folk, but sold Rack a wand that could detect magical items, and Lukas a wand that could empower spells and would vibrate when vampires were nearby. They left the coin in the bottom of a tankard and set off to the alley to find where this man was hiding. In the alley they found it was a tool shed or store room to a dye shop, the owner of which claimed they never used it and they had never bothered to check what was inside. Darion showed them the writ, claiming to be working under the protection Admiral de Lun, the Drenden representative at the Council and stated that they needed to look in that room, paying the owner a gold to keep quiet about it, which confused them but they agreed to allow them to inspect it. Breaking open the door they found a bolt hole of some sort, with a small sleeping area and some simple provisions, though Khez noticed many had been taken recently based off the dust left behind. Inspecting the floor, they noticed that their was a tunnel that Khez entered alone, finding it stretched far beneath the town, one fork leading to the local blacksmiths in the centre of town and other led to the northeast where it met the road. Reporting this back to the group they resolved to inquire at the blacksmiths. At Bert's Ironworks, the group began to ask questions about the tunnel, once again showing the writ, though they claimed not to be working for the guards. Bert, the owner, confirmed that the tunnel existed but claimed it was an escape tunnel in case he and his family needed to leave the town in a hurry. Wanting to be sure, Darion attempted to compel the owner and his wife to speak the truth, though in invoking the power of his gods he caused the owner, who resisted the effect, to demand they leave at once, Khez agreeing and leaving, the others following suit, some questioning why Darion did that. Deciding that they had bigger issues to deal with, they set off with Wilbur towards Eldswall. Return to the Fount Inn Avoiding the roads, the group travelled across Drenden, along the way Darion had a replacement symbol of Tempus placed in his armour. Eventually the group arrived in Greenest and enjoyed some revelry. Darion saw that his Order had become lax in their duties, many taking to drinking at the inn and all of them got drunk in celebration of their Lord Commander's return, Darion vowing that they would be allowed to celebrate tonight but afterwards he would step up their training. The group learned that Sir Alric Tane over in Tendown had passed away, but his funeral had been delayed as some lords from far afield were being waited on to arrive to pay their respects. Darion decided that they would wait in Greenest for the funeral, and await news from the Council. Khez looked around, remembering the night that Greenest was burned by the Cult of the Dragon when he had fled along with other survivors to the Governor's Mansion. Rack went to bed, having been travelling for months he wanted to rest his tired feet. As night descended on the town, Lukas and Rack slept in the inn as Khez sat on the roof overlooking the town to think on his concerns, and Darion returned to the keep. A Warning from Talis As Khez was about to climb back down into the room he'd been given, he heard the sound of wingbeats and heard a crash below in the inn. Meanwhile Darion was awoken by a voice in his head that warned him that someone was attacking the Fount inn, shouting for his Order to wake up and take arms, he realised it was Talis the White who had sent him the warning. Darion chose to put on his armour and gather his allies rather than rush in recklessly, leaving him too late to react to what was happening at the inn. Cultists from the Black Wing of the Cult of the Dragon had entered the inn and were attempting to kidnap Larion and Alais, but Khez, Rack and Lukas managed to fight them off, even when a red dragon arrived, Khez managed to drive the beast off with his staff of the storm. When Darion arrived he found the militia were only just responding and many were confused as to what to do, only Khez, Rack and Lukas were able to answer his questions. As they explained what had happened and posed potential reasoning behind the attack as the cultists were in the process of writing something on the wall outside, only the words "Bring th-" having been completed, Darion received another message from Talis. She said he was to bring the Black Dragon Mask to her at the Raider's Camp in the east before sunrise or terrible things will happen. Darion did not reveal this as he and the group set off north to pursue the fleeing dragon. Category:Blog posts